Hello readers! I promise I'm working on the final chapter of "The Power to Charm," but this came to me so quickly and I had to go with it. I'm very interested in the idea of reincarnation and this idea came to me randomly when I was loading the dishwasher. This story is heavily inspired by Snow Patrol's song "Make This Go On Forever" and "Set Fire to the Third Bar." (Give them a listen. They're amazing songs.) The lyrics don't always match up to the story, but overall, they are fueling my creative juices. I hope you enjoy this one.

Chapter 1: The Last Girl

"He's not getting any better?" Talulah asked the healer.

"I'm afraid not. He gets weaker by the day, and his kingdom is on the brink of collapse." The healer spoke.

"His cousin Cyrus is currently being prepared to take the throne if…"

"One must not think of such things." The healer sternly said.

"And what of the last girl?"

"The girl?"

"The champion of the labyrinth. Must she be kept in the dark about what is happening?"

"Why should she be made aware of this?" The healer asked.

"You must know that she is, in part, responsible for this. She turned him down and look at what has happened. His body and magic are failing him, but it's all due to a broken heart. I've served this court long enough to know one when I see it and he's giving up. He doesn't care anymore."

"What occurred between our king and the girl is none of our business. We can't do anything about that anyway. What we can do is focus on the king's health and healing. Besides, he made it clear that he wanted her left alone. She made her choice and he respects her enough to trust her decision."

"But it wasn't supposed to lead to this - a king; our king on his deathbed." Talulah pressed, her old age showing in her eyes.

"We must respect his wishes." The healer solemnly said.

"It's suicide and you know it."

"Yes," The healer whispered sternly, "but I can only heal the physical. He has to find it in himself to heal his heart."

"If the girl knew what was happening to him…"

"What? She'd come back to the labyrinth to save him? It's not as simple as sending a message and requesting her pop in for a visit. He's delirious and it will only get worse. If her feelings were similar to his and she denied them, she will feel his pain too." The healer said, staring at an unconscious king.

"What if they're not?"

"Then it's simple: she was never in love. The fates have spoken."

"The healer and Talulah looked at their pale king, hoping that he would find the will to live. His wild hair was tamed by sickness, and he hadn't eaten in weeks. Nothing brought him joy ever since his request of the girl was denied, and the goblins knew such was a serious thing when he no longer cared about delivering his subjects to the Bog of Eternal Stench.

The air of his castle was tinged with heartbreak and disappointment. The servants and staff knew their king too well, and the current situation wasn't one that offered much hope. The curtains around his bed were drawn, and one wouldn't know if it was night or day given the darkness of his room.

He was a king delivering himself to a mortal fate, but still, he could never escape the green of her eyes. It was a sweet torture that Jareth willingly walked into.

Sarah Williams felt lost.

She didn't understand why such a melancholy haunted her to the core. No. She knew everything. As much as she wanted to pretend that she didn't understand what brought such feelings on, they only grew worse and worse when she no longer saw the barn owl perched outside her bedroom window.

It had been a daily occurrence in her life, one she loathed, yet appreciated at the same time. She felt like the eyes of God were watching her, but there was a slight comfort in it, but then the owl stopped appearing. That was when the heavy sorrow began to hang over her.

Deep down she knew it was him, and there a slight comfort in the knowledge that it was him. But she had to remind herself that she had turned his offer down. Yes, she regretted that she had to do it, but she truly wasn't ready both physically and emotionally. At least she thought she wasn't.

But something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones. Every day for the last few weeks she saw the owl outside her window, but for the last three days there was nothing. That's when the heavy feeling started. Sarah tried calling to her friends from the labyrinth, but none of them ever responded. Figuring they were commanded to ignore her, she didn't want them to suffer because of her.

Retreating to the greenery of the park, Sarah no longer felt the comfort she once felt in such a place. Reciting lines from her favorite story no longer brought her joy, but she still carried the book with her. It was a habit she wasn't ready to grow out of.

There was a sudden cold wind in the air and it hit Sarah like a punch in the chest. Taking in heavy breaths, she fell to the ground, confused and alone. There was a swan adrift in the small pond no more than thirty feet from her as she continued the struggle to catch her breath. Not able to move, she felt her back hit the ground as she stared at the pale grey sky.

Is this what dying feels like? She wondered.

Then she knew.

She knew deep down that he was dying.

The only sound she could hear was the inhale and exhale of her breath or was it his? She didn't cry, nor did she feel sorrow. Sarah felt the strange solace that came from giving in. Turning to her side, she could see the green grass, the peaceful calm of the water, and a pair of eyes - his eyes.

Hours later her body was found by a couple taking a stroll and it would take weeks for an autopsy report to come in stating that Sarah Williams died from natural causes. Sure, her family didn't understand how such a thing was possible given her age, but it was the most logical of explanations in a most illogical situation.

At the same time, Jareth, the Goblin King, lay in his bed eyes wide open as he took in his final breath. Talulah could have swore she heard him whisper,

So it is done.

He closed his eyes and it was over.

No one would know the exact cause of the Goblin King's death, at least, no one in his kingdom would truly know. Cyrus would publicly blame it on illness, but only a select few knew the true malady that took him from his world. The goblins, elves, and creatures of the labyrinth mourned his loss. His funeral was the most regal of funerals, and a new king was crowned.

Life carried on in both the underground and the aboveground. For what choice did anyone have?